Abandoned & Forgotten CHAPTERS REUPLOADED
by TheTrueMasterofTempest
Summary: What was it? Why was it only him? For him to suffer all of this...what did it matter though...
1. Prologue

Abandoned & Forgotten

Pre-note:

I have been away from this site for a long time. Only recently have I gotten back into the gist of everything. But I could not find an opportunity to jump back into writing my other stories right away. Also, it'd feel wrong. So to refresh myself on writing, I wrote this little Prologue chapter to a scenario for Elsword which I have been thinking of for quite some time.

So Here it is.

Everything else will probably be said at the bottom. SO for now here's the prologue to **[Abandoned & Forgotten]**.

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

* * *

He ran.

He found himself running away. Away from what he thought he was safest around the most.

But as of now, he was wrong.

He wanted to run. He wanted to escape. His life was in the most danger it has ever been in. But it wasn't any normal enemy.

…

No.

…

It was his team…

…His friends…

…His family.

In this moment, his mind could only focus on two things: Defending himself and Running away.

He tried his best to run. But, with their combined strength and power compared to his own, it was a futile effort.

Rapid panting took his every breath as he continuously stumbled on his steps, attempting to escape.

In that moment, a stray icicle pierced through his right leg.

"Gwhaaa!" He groaned. But even under the extreme pain, he did not cease moving. Each trembling step he took pushed him only slightly further each time.

"D-Damn…" He accidentally tripped and found himself stumbling into a tree. As he attempted to regain his balance, a large diagonal sword slash sliced the top of the tree off, consequently almost taking off his head.

From the same person, a flaming fist prepared to strike the boy, but was barely blocked by his sword. The red blade obtained a large crack, added to its, already large, collection.

"Gh…Ra-ven…"

The ebony haired cyborg relentlessly threw attacks at the red headed boy. Attack after attack, it never ceased. Until, a great uppercut impacted the boy's stomach and sent him flying high into the air.

"GWAA-!" Blood exploded from the red head's mouth like a geyser. But, as usual, he had no time to rest. In the corner or his eye, he could faintly see two, blue projectiles heading straight for him. '…Shit!'

He could not escape

The first projectile, a freezing arrow, pierced straight through his right leg, thoroughly freezing it all throughout.

A simple feeling shocked the boy.

It Stung.

He nearly forgot about the incoming second projectile, a large cannonball, before it smashed into his stomach and exploded, sending him crashing down into the trees.

"AAAAAaaaahhhhhhh…!" The redhead's cries of pain echoed through the forest. As he looked down to his battered and bruised body, his leg, which was previously attached to his body, was gone. Shattered into several pieces. Only a thin layer of ice prevented him from bleeding out.

The boy desperately crawled to wherever he could.

His breathing was rigid. But nonetheless, it kept him going. He did his best to stand up. And…it was successful, but incredibly difficult.

He made his way through the thick woods; it was a treacherous journey. He made it a short way before being ambushed by two darkened silhouettes.

'…d-damn…I…don't…'

The two black bodies rushed at him with, a large claymore and spear, respectively.

They violently slashed at the boy's body, inflicting incredibly deep scars across his torso, arms, leg, and face.

He did his best to defend with his own weapon. Sadly, it was near impossible with what state he was in. In a final attempt at defense, he valiantly raised his sword across his chest.

' **...it's pointless…'**

The spear brazenly thrust through the heavily damaged blade. Just as his old leg, it shattered.

But it didn't stop there. The spear continued its forward pursuit without any hesitance and mercilessly stabbed the boy in his stomach.

It rained blood.

'… **how am I still here…'**

He fell to the floor; on his knees.

He felt tired.

As he tried to balance himself with his left arm…

'… **I can't…'**

He couldn't feel anything.

His dimmed vision could barely make out what looked to be his left arm on his side.

On…

The…

Ground.

'…move…'

His body wouldn't listen to him.

'…just…mo-.'

It did so.

But not by his own actions. And not to where he wanted.

His body was back in the air. Almost as if he was kicked up.

He proceeded to then be…

Shot…

Blasted…

Cut…

Thrown…

Shocked…

Smashed…

Until he absolutely couldn't take anymore.

He found himself at the edge of a cliff, only a few meters away from death. But oddly, his conscience didn't want to disappear. It continued to tirelessly hand on.

…

But…what was the point.

'…What's…t-…point…?'

'… **nothingness…'**

'…I can't get…up…'

'…'

'… **why…'**

He questioned.

'… **why me?'**

He moaned.

'… **what did I do?'**

'…why am I like this?'

He cried.

'… **Is this what I get!?'**

He yelled.

'Why!? Why is the World against only me!?'

'Huh, Fate!? Why me!? I just wanted…to be happy! With everyone I love around me! Yet…YET YOU DO THIS!'

'IS THIS MY PUNISHMENT!? FOR TRYING TO BRING BACK PEACE!?'

'HUH, FATE!?'

...

Shadows.

Ten of them. They all simultaneously stepped out of the woods.

'… **yeah, this…huh?'**

…

Walking through the very center, directly toward the boy. Her…

The one he wished for the least to finish this.

Through his fading vision, he could make out the two cute twintails over the person's shoulders.

'… **even you…'**

They prepared one final attack.

He…he felt something wet rolling down his face.

"…even you, Aisha?"

…

It was weird. Even in this moment, he could still feel sympathy towards others.

But…

…

But…

'…heh…you know…I n-…really could…be-…sis…, huh?'

…

…

…

…That was all.

…

The blast launched his body with great force.

Any hope of making it out of this situation…

… **gone…**

As he fell, his head smashed into a stray boulder with astronomical force.

It was this that lead him, finally, to unconsciousness.

His limp body fell to its death, almost certainly.

The ten silhouettes watched, as their old leader…and friend, fell into nothingness.

…

It was over.

They all turned and headed back to where they came from.

All, except the one who dealt the final blow. She continued to look down the cavern where… "He" fell.

It wasn't long before she also decided to turn back with the rest. The only difference compared to the others though…

…the tears that rolled down her emotionless eyes.

* * *

…

…

…

Was…was it over…

…

…

…

…

…well, what did it matter anyway...

…

…

…

…

…

"…ey, …ey …ose! I …ound som…g…"

…

…voices…

"…ro, he's…rt! …k he… ..e

…

…

…

'… **whatever…'**

* * *

…

…

'…h-huh…?'

…

'…w-where…is…?'

Color…color appeared.

'What…is…?'

"Finally, you're awake!"

'Huh?'

It felt new.

The Sound.

The Air.

The Color.

It felt as if he had never experienced it before.

"…w-what is…?"

"Don't worry. You might be confused now, but I'll explain everything shortly." A strong, but calming female's voice answered.

The [boy] turned to look at the source of the voice.

Tall, Mature, Blonde, 'Big', Beautiful. These were just a small portion of words that would've come to his mind if he wasn't extremely confused right now.

"W-Who are…?"

"Anna."

"Huh?"

"My name, it's Anna. Anna Testarossa."

"Testa-rossa?" It was a name unfamiliar to him.

"Yeah. It might be difficult to remember. But, just call me 'Rose'."

"…Rose." It rolled off the tongue. Short and simple.

"Okay, now for your name."

"M-my name?" He asked a bit shaken.

"Of course! Well, unless you're telling me you forgot your name."

The [boy] couldn't understand why, but that tone she momentarily used irritated him a bit.

"Of course not! My name is 'Elsword'! Elsword Sieghart!" He roared.

The girl let out a mischievous smile.

"Well, at least I finally know your name after taking care of you for so long."

"Huh?" That last part interested him. "What do you mean, for 'so long'?"

Rose's eyes widened for a bit before letting out a worried sigh.

"…"

"Well…?"

"Three months."

"!?"

"That's how long you've been unconscious for. Three months."

* * *

Post-note:

Yeah, this is my entry back into this site. At least for a little while.

College has calmed down and midterms are nearly over. But I'm still pretty busy with work.

If there are any questions regarding my others stories, such as "Next chapter?" or "Focus on one thing instead." which really isn't a question, just PM me and I'll give you an answer or something.

As for those other stories I have planned out, they will ALSO be happening sometime within the next year. Most likely in the Winter when Persona 5 comes out. So if you're interested...stay interested.

Not much but, yeah, that's about it.

I'll probably update this story about every week or so with short chapters (mostly about 1-2 thousand words each) since I can write it during school.

 **`So, as always, this is Tempest, signing out!**

 **-Laters.**

* * *

Theme for this story: **Reason Living -SCREEN mode**


	2. C:1

Abandoned & Forgotten

Pre-note:

So, I promised I'd get these chapters in each week. I still intend to keep that promise. It's just that, I didn't have internet for the past week and was unable to get in this new chapter. Sorry about that.

For now though, here's the next part. So enjoy the next chapter of **[Abandoned & Forgotten]**.

* * *

 **C.1**

* * *

"…"

"Three months."

"!?"

"That's how long you've been unconscious for. Three months." She stated firmly.

'…'

"…"

"…Three…months?"

"L-Listen, you don't have to-." She began trying to reassure the red head, but was abruptly cut off.

"That…calms me, strangely."

The blonde was surprised. She expected the young boy to be more surprised about his situation. She didn't expect him to take it so easily.

"A-Are you sure? You don't seem all that surprised about this."

"Weeeell…" He pondered. "I can't really explain it too well. But…"

"…?"

"T-Think of it like this. You have a REALLY delicious piece of meat, right? Then all of a sudden, you forget about it. Wouldn't you feel better finding out that it was just safely being preserved in the back of your fridge instead of having it sit out in some random field being spoiled and/or being eaten by something or someone else?"

"…What?"

"Like, meat and-!"

"I heard what you said. I just don't understand what that means."

Elsword thought hard about that. He didn't exactly understand 100% of what he just said either, but he _did_ think it was good enough to get his point across. Maybe it was since he was still a bit groggy from waking up.

"It's just…I can't remember much from 3 months ago. But, it's nice to know I'm still well and breathing."

" _Well_ might not be the exact word to use right now. But, it's good to know you've still got some energy."

"Yeah I-." It then hit him. Something this girl said didn't seem right. "Wait, what do you mean ' _Well_ might not be the exact word to use right now?'"

"…I'm surprised you still haven't noticed yet."

"Notice what?"

Rose said nothing. She simply pointed toward the boy's chest.

Elsword, taking this hint, looked down at his chest. Not particularly his chest, but there was definitely something obscure about his body.

"W-What is this!?" He yelled bespectacled. His body glowed abnormally; more specifically his left arm and right leg. "W-What happened to my arm and leg!?"

"When I found you, you were missing both of them. Strangely, whenever I tried to patch you up, you'd begin to bleed once more."

"…"

"Since I figured it was pointless to keep on patching you up, I came to the conclusion to replace your limbs."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"You've been quiet for a while. I-I apologize if you don't appre-."

"This is…SO COOL!"

"Really?" Once again, she was baffled by this boy's reaction to his situation.

"I'm like, half a cyborg now! Besides, if I couldn't heal, there's nothing else you could do, right? So thank you very much!" He smiled brightly.

An overwhelming sense of pride came over the blonde like never before. For this, sort of, stranger to absolutely appreciate the things she's done for him while he was unconscious for such a long amount of time, it felt like she's accomplished something she'd never think she'd be able to accomplish.

"You are very welcome!"

"But, this feels a bit weird."

"Well that should be. You just woke up from a three month coma. It'll take a while for you to get used to it."

"…I guess." Elsword said lazily as he threw his hands behind his head and lied back down onto his bed. "By the way…"

"Hmm, yes?"

"How were you even able to do all this? Replacing my arm and leg, wouldn't that have been extremely difficult?"

Rose moved from her previous spot towards the boy on the bed. She sat down near him and proceeded to grab his robotic arm.

"It was definitely something I didn't expect to do at any time. And it wasn't a cake-walk either."

"But, how did you do it?"

"That requires a bit of an explanation. First, I was only able to pull this off because I specialize in robotics and machinery. They call me ' **Optimus** '.

"Optimus." 'That sounds pretty awesome.' He thought to himself.

"Second, this took an unbelievable amount of time to accomplish."

"How long?"

"Two weeks."

"…Well that doesn't sound too bad?" 'Compared to my three months.'

"I may not have been clear enough. This took two STRAIGHT weeks."

"…"

"I never stopped."

"WHAT!?" At last, he understood. "You n-never stopped!? B-But what about sleep?"

"Luckily, I wasn't alone. I have a partner with me."

"Partner?" He asked confused.

"He's currently powered down right now though, so I can't bring him here."

'P-Powered down?'

"…You're probably confused judging by the look on your face."

"…I-I am." He admitted embarrassingly.

"My partner's a robot. He's my guide."

"…O-Oh! Well…that'd make sense."

…

It felt awkward, at first. Everything just seemed to be moving at a leisurely pace.

Waking up from a coma and finding yourself in some unknown place with some unknown person. But, in a short amount of time, he's now laughing with 'Rose' about how he misread about her and her partner.

It felt awkward, but…he felt satisfied while also feeling unsatisfied. Most was explained to him but yet, he felt as if absolutely nothing was explained at all.

What was it…

"By the way, what time is it?" Elsword asked.

"Hmm…It's currently 5:13. Also, the date is November 12, ####." She answered.

"November…" The boy said to himself. "…heh."

Rose appeared to catch onto what he said.

"What's so funny?"

"My birthday. It's next month."

The blonde mechanic seemed interested.

"Really? How old will you be?"

"Umm…Let's see…17."

'Wow. I could tell from his appearance, but he really is so young.' "Do you usually celebrate your birthday?"

"Up until a few years ago, everyone in my village used to send me a short 'congrats' my way. But it was never anything major. Then when I left on my journey four years ago, I've…Ive always spend my birthday either training by myself or just completely forgetting about it."

"So…you've never actually celebrated your birthday?"

"Not that I remember."

'…' Rose thought to herself for a bit. 'He's sort of like me. Being raised in the Empyrean military, we never really celebrated birthdays. Hmm…'

Apart from her thinking, the blonde saw the red headed boy attempting to get off his bed.

"W-Wait, hold on!" She exclaimed racing over to prevent him from falling. But, outstandingly, he didn't. In fact, he appeared to be handling it rather well.

"T-This is pretty cool." The metallic limb momentarily glowed brightly. He took it slow at first, but in no time, Elsword was walking as if he had never last his leg. "Heheh. This is no problem!"

Rose could only stare at the boy fascinated.

'Incredible! He's getting used to his leg in almost no time at all! I really stumbled onto someone interesting!' The mechanic went back to her seat. "By the way, Elsword…"

"Hmm?" He stopped his walking.

"Did you really make it over here by yourself?"

"Well…" He paused for a moment.

Was it hesitation? Why was he nervous?

"…That's what I remember."

"What you remember, huh? But say…"

"…"

"N-Never mind." Rose knew. It was a dangerous topic to bring up, especially since he just awoke from a coma. But, she did anyway. 'I'm being too off today.'

…

Meanwhile, Elsword was thinking hard.

'I've always been alone. Comrades? I would've…I would've remembered having something like that. I'll get by with my own strength.'

* * *

…

3 months.

…

It's been 3 long months since their leader mysteriously disappeared.

It hasn't been the same. It's too quiet.

Elsword.

He couldn't be…

The team's current residence in Lanox was just as quiet as usual.

The search for their old leader…unsuccessful. Once again.

The tragic loss affected each of them. But, rather, it seemed to affect 4 of them the most.

Sitting in the rest area of their lodge, a beautiful, lime blonde elf was chatting with a certain ebony haired cyborg.

"Aisha and Eve…they locked themselves in their rooms again." The elf stated.

"It's not surprising." The cyborg answered. "Elsword, he's been missing for 3 month…Maybe, he's actu-."

"NO!" The elf cut off. "There's no way! He's not dead." Tear…began rolling down her face. "There's no way… He's alive. And…we'll find him…I know it. And so does Aisha, Eve, Chung and everyone else."

"Rena…"

"…I-I'm sorry. I…didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry, Raven."

The ebony haired man understood.

The red head was special to everyone, even her. She loved him like the little brother he acted like. She didn't want to accept killing him off like that.

He knew…

Because, he also didn't want to. He thought of the young boy like an apprentice. Sometimes, even like a son. He enjoyed watching him progress through the many challenges that he encountered; growing and maturing. He didn't want to see him disappear like this. He didn't accept that he was gone.

"Damn it, Elsword…where the hell are you?"

* * *

It was quiet.

A purple haired mage sunk sadly in her bed.

She wasn't the same. Her usual cheerful and prideful demeanor…absolutely gone.

…

She hated it.

How she became. Why did she become like this? Weak and depressed.

…

She knew. It was because of him. Her conflicted feelings for the boy.

…

But she didn't want to admit it. It'd only make her feel worse.

…

The girl weakly played with her fingers. Using her ice magic for no apparent reason.

"El…Elsword…" She quietly muttered. "Where are you? You damn…"

She wanted to cry. She wanted to moan and yell and mourn and complain. But her eyes wouldn't let her…not anymore.

"…El…please come back."

* * *

 **`So, as always, this is Tempest signing out!**

 **-Laters.**

* * *

Theme for this story: **Reason Living -SCREEN mode**


	3. C:2

Abandoned & Forgotten

Pre-note:  


REUPLOADED.

Aright **[Abandoned & Forgotten]**, new chapter. Let's do this!

* * *

 **C.2**

* * *

When the news of Elsword's sudden disappearance found its way to the team, there was no question a certain Nasod queen was also greatly affected.

The stone cold, solid wall she used to call her 'personality' seemed to crumble away because of the disappearance of the red head boy. She'd say she had no human emotions, but as of now it was blatantly obvious to everyone she displayed sadness and sorrow.

Her three servants Oberon, Ophelia and Ferdinand along with her two drones Moby and Remy greatly worried for her. Just as Eve had slowly become more human, they also had grown to express more emotions.

Ophelia decided to speak up.

"Please, Queen Eve. Please, you must not mope any longer. Please." She pleaded sorely.

"…" There was no answer.

"Please, Eve." Moby spoke.

"Let's go and play outside." Remy continued.

"…Moby, Remy…not now…" The silver haired Nasod answered from inside her room. "…Maybe later…"

"…Eve."

"…Eve."

Her voice was weak and spiritless. Sort of like that time William Phoru was confident in his copying of Elsword's fighting style, but then…lost…to…Elsword…oh…

"I never thought we'd see the Queen this, incapable." The maid stated.

"There has to be som-." The robotic butler began to speak as something bumped into him.

Long glowing locks of gold swayed by Oberon.

"Sir Chung, how're-?" A sudden stop. He felt it'd be dangerous to continue talking to the boy.

Chung's usual happy and noble form took a complete 180. He radiated an aura of seriousness and anxiety like no other. It felt as if just tapping the boy on his shoulder would set off an uncontrollable bomb that'd destroy everything. It felt unnatural.

Also, whereas the purple haired mage and Nasod queen grew depressed of the youngest boy's disappearance, the Seiker boy turned to a rasher route.

It didn't make sense.

"~ggghhhh~" Oberon shivered. "To think that young prince would become like that. It's terrifying."

"Chung, Chung, please wait up!" A female voice called.

The Nasods witnessed the girl with the fox spirit running up the stairs.

"P-please Chung, wait up!" Ara called.

"I'm busy, Ara! Leave me alone!" The blonde boy answered while continuing forward.

"But you can't ke-!"

…

She fell.

Right in front of the 4 Nasods. Just as clumsily as ever.

It took a few seconds for the girl to pick herself back up. Her attempt to feign her ignorance of her fall made it seem even weirder.

But even so, she stood, dusted herself off, bowed to the four confused Nasods and made her way back after the boy.

It was immediately after, the five of them heard a door slam. Loudly.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…qugghhh…" Ara Haan slumped down to the floor. "It's no use. I can't talk to him."

"…"

"…"

The Nasods looked at each other. They all, silently, came to the conclusion that ONE of them had to address the girl. It was just the matter of WHO was going to do it that needed to be decided.

…

After a short discussion and a few "fair" votes, A.K.A Moby and Remy pushing him forward along with Ophelia threatening to blast him from behind, it was decided that Oberon was to comfort the fox girl.

"Uuu…uummmm, Miss Haan?"

"Hmm?" The girl had tears in her eyes.

Shit

"Uuhhh…w-what wou-?"

"Chung has become too unstable!"

'Will I ever finish spe-?'

"He's acting so brash lately! All he's been doing is fixing his Destroyer then going to l-look for…"

Oh…he understood now. It was obvious though, since it's been 3 months. Of course it was because of him.

Chung and Elsword, they were close. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them brothers. And even more, Chung greatly admired how Elsword was always confident and strong-willed **.** To see someone he admired so much to just disappear like that…

"W-well, there might be a way to calm him down… E-Elesis! W-What about Miss Ele-!?" His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden explosion from outside. Ara sniffled.

"I…I don't think Miss Elesis is going to be any better."

"…uhhh…"

* * *

Outside, a bit away from the lodge, cracks were everywhere. As if an earthquake decided to only destroy a short area of space. At the epicenter of the small earthquake, Elesis.

The one nicknamed, The Red haired Knight. Those who knew her would describe her as, having the grace and dignity of a natural born leader. Even more-so than her brother, she was confident and mature. It almost seemed as if nothing would make her will falter.

…Where did that all go…

Right now, confident, mature, those were not words someone would use to describe how she was right now.

Accurately describing her, she was a mess. A clobbered mess of negative emotions. And guess who's to blame…

Naturally, seeing how the two were blood siblings, it's to be expected that she'd act like this. After all, they were only recently reunited after being separated for years. Although she wouldn't show it much, she loved her little brother a lot and was absolutely thrilled to see him again.

Now, once more, they were separated and she couldn't do damn shit about it.

"Damn…it…" She panted heavily as she swung her giant Claymore to the ground causing a massive split to appear. "Am I still too weak?" Her voice was rough and heavy. "Damn it!"

Safely sitting in some trees nearby, Add and Ciel watched over the rampaging girl.

"This girl, she's still not tired?" The Tracer asked. "She's been like this for the past two weeks."

The half demon butler answered.

"Her brother went missing all of a sudden. It's understandable why she'd be acting this way. Besides…we all feel the same way." He quietly remarked.

Lu was also there too, but she was comfortably taking a nap on the butler's lap. According to Ciel, the "sounds of destruction", caused by Elesis and her raging, reminds her of her nights in the demon world and helps her sleep. Whatever that means.

"Tch, whatever."

"Hmm, you don't care much for his disappearance?"

"Not in the slightest." Add hissed.

Ciel was used to the boy's sharp attitude. He knew he didn't always mean what he said sometimes. But even so, it kind of pissed him off he was so nonsensical about the matter.

"So you don't miss anything about Elsword?"

"The kid always got in my way! He destroyed what I've been looking for, for so long! And he's annoying to boot!"

"Really? Then why are you here looking after his sister?"

"T-T-That's because she's making all this noise and it's hard to concentrate."

"Ooohhh?" He said with a smirk.

"S-Shut up, you butler!" He shot with his face reddening.

"Yeah, yeah." The blue haired half demon went back to looking over Lu.

Add continued watching Elesis's rampage until she finally tired out.

The red haired knight finally fell to the ground. Her massive sword made a heavy *clunk* sound as it hit the ground.

"…oh…" Her face felt wet.

But, why? Was it raining?

The town was near the edge of a volcano so there was no way it was rain. But…

It then hit her.

"…I'm crying…" She said it, feeling almost emotionless, as if she had never experienced it before.

…

It felt awful.

She didn't want this.

She just wanted her little brother back. The only family she had left.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Elsword. I wasn't there for you!"

* * *

This was the complete state of the party.

…

No one was happy.

There was nothing but negativity flowing through the atmosphere.

It was unbelievable.

…

The only thing for them…

…

Was Despair.

* * *

The blonde haired mechanic and the red headed boy conversed. Rose attempted to inform him of most of what she could.

They currently resided in a place she made her hideout, just on the outskirts of a town called Lanox.

The state of the continent was in distress after a massive earthquake happened.

Hordes of, what seemed to be, demons became less and less.

And that was about everything she knew.

Elsword took all the information in like a university student. The lackadaisical attitude he had before was replaced by a solid and gruff spirit.

The boy quietly spoke to himself.

"The demons are retreating? That's good…but, something doesn't seem right. Why are they going back now? Does it have something to do with Ifritan? But when I defeated him…he was only under hypnosis..."

Rose stared at Elsword. She wondered what was going on in his head. She definitely knew he was processing all the new information. Maybe…maybe it was related to the invaders she was here to find out about.

"Ughhh, this is too confusing! I guess I'll just have to ask Edel about it later." Elsword complained.

"So, what do you plan to do now?"

"…I don't know." His voice was hoarse. Anyone could tell that he was obviously not having a good time thinking through all this.

But even so, he knew he had to push through this with all his might.

"But first off, I…"

"What is it?"

Elsword looked.

He looked left and he looked right.

He looked up and he looked down.

He even got up and looked underneath the bed he slept on. But still, it wasn't there.

After a while, Rose finally decided to question the boy.

"What are you looking for?"

…

It grossed him a bit. Such a simple question gave him goosebumps and he didn't know why.

The red haired boy turned to look at the beautiful mechanic with the perfect definition of loss painted on his face.

He depressingly limped closer to the girl from the other side of the room and as he approached her, with the saddest, most confused tone he could give, he asked her.

…

"Have you seen my sword?"

"…"

"…"

"…Huh?" That was all she could say.

"My sword, my SWORD! Red, kind of silver, kind of long and triangular…"

"N-No, you didn't have a sword when I found you. It must have washed away then."

"…oooohhhh, man…"

"B-But why are you making such a big deal out of this? Was that sword special?"

"N-No, it wasn't actually. And, to be honest, I don't know why I'm getting so worked up over it either. I-It's just…I'm getting goosebumps all over because I know… 'HE' is going to show up. This is the perfect excuse to get me to play one of his little 'games'." The boy was obviously in a frenzy.

'He?' As the girl thought to herself, the boy made his way to the exit.

"A-Anyway, I should probably find a temporary replacement bef-!'

A chill ran down his spine. As he opened the entrance door, he could just feel the eerie presence of one guy patiently waiting for him.

"…Uuuggghhhhhh…"

"Hmpf, what took you so long, Elsword?" The 'person' asked with the usual foolish voice.

"Ghh…Glave…"

Elsword took note of the masked man leaning on the outside wall. He, as always, was casually juggling his dice with one hand.

"So, Elsword, word got around that you need a new weapon."

"Nope! Nuh-uh! Nah! That's completely false! Where would y-!?" He attempted to deny.

"Time and Space don't lie."

"I don't want to take anything from you."

The masked man let out a simple snicker.

"Don't be like that. After all our good times?"

"You almost left me to die of poison in Altera."

"Come on, you know I'd never let my favorite pawn die like that."

Yeah, it was this. This guy was definitely the reason he felt so nerved. He was kind of gross at times.

Rose, was busy overhearing the conversation from the other side of the door.

"But, don't worry. You won't be in too much danger this time."

"Coming from you, that still sounds like a lot."

"I can lead you to an invincible blade that will never break."

"!?" This caught his attention.

"Although…mastering it may come with a few…side effects."

"Grrr…"

"Or…you can choose a much more difficult challenge with even greater rewards."

"An even better sword?"

"Or you can do both. The choice is yours."

"…"

"So, what shall it be?"

…

He thought about this. Since his old weapon was gone, he had no choice but to get a new one. But…was the risk worth it?

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Fine, I've made up my decision."

Rose couldn't help but feel worried.

"I'll…"

The masked man, if he didn't have it covering his face, he would've surely been smiling.

"Heheh…Excellent choice."

* * *

Post-note:

Well, that sums up this chapter. I was happy I was able to make it a bit longer. It's going to continue to expand, so I hope you current readers and future readers stay to enjoy the rest of it. I have a lot planned for this.

That's all for this week.

 **`So, as always, this is Tempest signing out!**

 **-Laters.**

* * *

Theme for this story: **Reason Living -SCREEN mode**


	4. C:3

Abandoned & Forgotten

Pre-note:

There are definitely some cliched things in this chapter. Just try to work with me for now. Please.

* * *

 **C.3**

* * *

"Ughh…why…"

Where was he? It was dark and damp and slightly hot. Oh man, it irritated his leg like crazy. He only just recently got it, will it malfunction already? Seriously, where wa-?

Oh yeah, remembered.

"Damn…Glave. Making me go through all this even though I just recently woke up."

Rose, not far behind him, scanned the cave.

"It doesn't seem like there are any dangerous beasts or monsters in here, though."

"That bothers me. That Glave said _'An invincible blade that'll never break'_ with _'mastering it may come with a few side effects'_. Since there isn't anything guarding the sword, it makes me worry how terrifyingly powerful it is. But at the same time, it gets me excited; wielding such a powerful weapon!"

"You sound just like a kid right now." She joked.

"Hey, I'm not a kid anymo-!" Without watching, the redhead knight fell over an edge.

"Elsword!" Rose screamed out. The Mech she rode sped to the edge where the boy just fell. When she looked down, she saw him moaning. Thankfully, the drop wasn't that big of a fall.

"…oww."

"Just like a kid. What'd I say?"

"Yeah…yeah." The boy grunted as he forced himself back up. He still seemed to be in tip top shape.

Rose's Mech glided down.

"Do you want a ride?"

"No thanks. I'm good."

"…"

He fell again.

…

…

The cave became increasingly hotter as the large Mech carried both Rose, in its hands, and Elsword, on its back, closer to their destination. The red headed boy decided to comment.

"We must be getting closer. The sword must be the source of all this intense heat."

"It's possible. It's also possible that all this heat could be a trap to divert us from the real thing."

"…Possibly." He didn't want to think about it, but there was indeed a possibility that this was all a trap. Even though Glave wasn't one to give false information. But even so…it was Glave. You could never fully trust that guy even if he threw you the most impressive birthday party. "But we've come this far. If it's a trap, we'll do our best to deal with it."

"Oi, Rose." A new voice spoke.

"What is it zero?" She answered.

Zero was a spherical, yellow robot that accompanied the female gunner on her trek in Elrios. He tended to show himself as arrogant and loved to look on the pessimistic side of things. But, Rose knew he cared about her wellbeing enough to bear with her. Otherwise, he probably would've found some way to ditch her already. On the other hand, he couldn't understand why the blonde girl was insistent on helping that boy. After all, his actions weren't her responsibility.

"Why are we still hanging around this kid? We should've let him go and continued our own journey."

"It wouldn't be right to just leave an amnesic kid on his own right after I took care of him. Besides, he might lead us to what we're looking for."

"…ghh. Fine. But you have to remember the mission. And time is limited, Rose. LIMITED!"

"Yeah, I know Zero. I kno-."

"H-Hey, Rose…" Elsword interrupted.

"What is it, Elsword? Is something wr-?"

Wait, she felt different. As if something changed while she wasn't paying attention.

"Yeah. You noticed it too."

"Yeah."

"The heat is completely gone."

"The heat is completely gone."

"I guess it really wasn't a trap." The boy jumped from the Mech's back. Zero decided to speak up.

"I'm picking something up on my radar, Rose!"

"What is it?"

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it sure is generating a large amount of energy."

"That might be it." Elsword exclaimed. "That might be the sword! Which way is it?"

"It's coming from the Northwest!"

With a quick nod, and a hint of excitement, the boy rushed in the direction given by the yellow guide. Zero and Rose quickly followed behind.

It didn't take long for the boy to find what he was looking for. And it sure did stand out.

Centered in the room with its own grand pedestal. It glowed ominously, as if it was drawing him to it. What looked to be the scabbard looked forced into the ground. Just from the way it looked, the red head could tell, it has definitely been there for a few hundred years. It was all the more tempting.

He slowly and carefully walked toward the lodged scabbard.

"T-This is the sword? It's ominous, but I can feel its intense power." 'Heh…it's actually pretty frightening.'

Rose and Zero arrived at the site.

"Is that it?" She questioned.

"It must be. The energy readings are through the roof." Despite the voices behind him, Elsword continued forward toward the ominous blade.

"Hey Elsword, be careful!" Rose called out to him.

His walk didn't stop. Not even a bit.

It seemed as though he wasn't going to listen. So she simply watched as he continued forward.

"…"

The boy stayed silent; almost as if he were in a trance.

Steadily, he inched closer and closer to the weapon. Until…

He finally came face-to-face with it.

Now that he got a closer look at it, he could indeed tell that it was ancient. But that was just judging from the handle. He couldn't understand why he couldn't see the sword itself. Even by looking from the top, he couldn't see the blade. The handle only sunk into an endless darkness.

"What the…?"

"Hey, Elsword!" Rose called. "Is everything okay!?"

"…" He didn't answer. Whether he heard her and just didn't answer or just didn't hear her at all, all he did was stare. 'The sword…how? Where? …No, I'm thinking too much about it. It's there, it's definitely there.' The boy took a breath and calmed down. 'And, there's only one way to find out…'

At that moment, he reached for it. That same determination it took to get him here, he used it once again. At that same moment he grabbed it…everything went black.

* * *

…

'Where…am I?'

Only a dangerously distant echo rung back. Elsword tried to move forward.

'Hello!?' He called only to hear the same echo.

An endless darkness.

Once again he tried to move forward.

Was he falling?

Was he floating?

Was he flying?

Was he standing?

Whatever it was, it was just that.

He could understand something, though; he was surrounded by an endless darkness.

It felt Lonely. This feeling. Why does he feel this same feeling?

It's not like he had friends or anything.

A warm wind blew onto the boy from nowhere.

'Is this…inside the sword?'

" **WHY** …?"

The sudden voice startled him.

" **THIS PLACE SHOULD BE NOTHING BUT DARKNESS…WHY IS THERE SOMETHING HERE…?"**

Where was that coming from?

'I…I need a sword! That's why I'm here!'

"…" It didn't answer

'…please.'

"… **I ASK ONLY ONE QUESTION…"**

'…?'

" **THIS BLADE IS COATED IN NOTHING BUT DARKNESS. IF YOU BARE THIS WEAPON, YOU WILL HAVE TO BURDEN THAT DARKNESS. THROUGH TIME AND TIME AGAIN, THE SAME FATE HAS TAKEN ITS USERS. I ASK YOU, CAN YOU BARE THE FATE OF THIS BLADE'S DARKNESS…?"**

This blade's darkness? The fate of its users? Elsword needed a weapon…but, this could be a risk.

'This was probably what Glave was talking about.'

"… **!?"**

The boy thought it over, more times than he'd like to admit.

…

But the main issue stayed the same. He needed, a weapon. And to top it off, he needed to get stronger. There was absolutely no way he'd get stronger if he never took a risk. So he made up his mind.

'I'll do it. I'll bare this blade's darkness!'

"… **OH REALLY…?"**

'But…I will not fall. I will NOT succumb to the weapon's darkness. I'll fight past it with all my might, then use that which made others fall to propel my own strength forward!'

"… **HEH…"** It said with interest. **"…FINE THEN…"**

A great wind rustled up from every direction possible.

From above and below, to every area on his side.

The boy closed his eyes and attempted to block the vicious onslaught of wind.

Then…

It stopped.

And as soon as the red headed boy opened his eyes, he was struck by an absolutely beautiful sight.

Fields, mountains and trees, as far as the eye could see. They were all beautifully decorated by, what seemed like, an Infinite amount of swords.

And from behind him, was the most impressively built Imperial Citadel he'd ever seen. It was red. Red and hot shades of color everywhere. All this was complimented by a, seemingly, never ending sunset.

Yeah, this was definitely better than the darkness.

"What is this place? It's amazing!"

"… **YEAH, I KN- *ahem*** , sorry."

It was that same voice from before, except, a lot more normal. Elsword looked up to the very top of the citadel to see someone sitting on the roof.

It was a man. A young looking man to be exact. With obsidian hair.

"Hey'a!"

"H-Huh!?"

The man slid from his sitting position to the citadel's third floor balcony. After, he flipped from the top and landed directly in front of the red head.

"W-Whoa!" Elsword said startled. "Who are you and how did you do that!?"

"Weeeell…" He began. "I've sort have been here for such a long time, so I kinda what I _do_ exactly."

"…L-like amnesia?"

"Amnesia…meh. I don't really want to call it that. Besides, that's waaayyy too much of a cliché for me. There's enough of that for this story with you already."

"T-This story!? What are y-?"

"Let's just say it didn't matter, so I just deleted it."

"…?" What was this guy talking about!? Is he crazy or something!?

"But importantly, my name's Sieghart and I'm a Gladiator."

"You're a…Gladiator? WAIT, SIEGHART!? You have th-!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it there kid, don't get any funny ideas. I'm pretty sure I'm not related to you. There's no way I could be anyway."

"But-!"

"Here…" The man picked up a random sword from the ground and passed it to Elsword. But, with the boy's mind still off on the subject of sharing the same name, he struggled to catch the weapon. After, he began pushing him off.

"W-Wait a minute…"

"Nope, no time. You've overstayed your welcome and the author's getting pretty tired at this point."

"Author? You even mentioned something about a story! What the hell are you say-!?"

"Like I said, no time."

Suddenly, something akin to a doorway appeared out of nowhere.

"But if you ever want to learn how to use that thing properly, stop by anytime!" Sieghart then pushed the red headed boy through the doorway.

"W-Whaaa!"

"Oh, and one more thing. The name of that blade is-!"

…

And everything went black.

* * *

Elsword opened his eyes to find a blinding light. He stood unmoved from his previous spot. One difference, though, was the disappearance of the scabbard embedded in the rock.

"Ughh…" He groaned as he held his head. "My head hurts."

"Elsword!" A familiar voice called to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Rose."

The blonde mechanic breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, how was it? Were you able to get the sword?"

"I-I think so."

"Then where is it?" The robot guide asked.

"I-I don't know. But it wasn't still in the rock, so I guess I…"

Elsword clutched his head in pain. Something was flooding back into him. Something like…memories?

" _Oh, and one more thing. The name of that blade is-!"_

It finally came to him.

He whispered.

…

"…Conwell."

A magnificent light shined brightly from his right hand. He could feel something painting on his skin. It wasn't painful, but the sensation was irritating.

After the light died down, the boy took a look at his right hand.

An emblem of some sort.

"An emblem?" Zero questioned.

In response to the guide, Elsword raised his right hand up high. Instantly, the scabbard from the rocks appeared. He swiftly grabbed the handle and unsheathed the blade.

Long and sleek. It was the perfect weight in his hand. And with its brilliant silver and red design, it gleamed elegantly in his hand.

"So this…is the legendary sword!" With his tone, one could say, Elsword was pleased.

* * *

Sieghart sat back up on his rooftop spot.

"…"

A brief memory of the boy ran through his mind.

" _This was probably what Glave was talking about."_

"…Glave." The name ran through his lips with excitement. "Heheh, still up to his old tricks. Hmm, I wonder if Luto is still alive too. Things are looking a bit more fun again."

* * *

Post-note:

Also, I'm really done with schedules and stuff.

Also, once again, if there are any major questions, which I highly doubt, feel free to just leave a PM or review or however you want to do it.

But yeah, that's about it.

 **`As always, this is Tempest, signing out!**

 **-Laters**

* * *

Theme for this story: **Reason Living -SCREEN mode**


End file.
